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[Tiruin]

What if I want to be good ar ALL THE THINGS?

Then you're signing up for a life of disappointment

You mean, life?

Yeah pretty much.  I mean, when people say life gets better as you get older are god damned liars.

I'd say otherwise. Especially given that sweeping generalization.

Although it's a personal thing--saying that the older you get, is directly proportional to how much more disappointment will happen, is untrue. I'd draw a personal example; my dad/parents have a backstory of working their [adjective_manything] off to get where they are now, basically rags to riches from province to urban to being doctors. By which even in the senior age, around 65+, one can join a triathlon, practice the saxophone (and be moderately good at it ), be an oratory speaker, be a decent parent. The age is to denote that even at that point can one be physically active and healthy.

But I'm steering off into personal stuff
Just poking as an example, that thinking. How you approach the world is a keypoint. How you think and perceive things is a keypoint. This is where you begin making conclusions that will affect further perceptions; making sweeping generalizations about something that is very definitive about life WILL affect how you think further, unless you balance it with specifics and details so you know what you're actually describing. My parents are pretty much expecting a lot from me so I could also say I can relate to the OP; there are times wherein I feel underappreciated or that "I haven't made them proud u_u", but I discussed this with them and that helped steer that thinking to better seas, a lot-- I can also note that there's this vague measurement of 'everyone' being the root, which shouldn't actually be the case. Rather than ascribing your reasoning towards a generality, put it towards something you can actually interact or interface with. And maybe, try talking with those people because holding yourself to those expectations in order to impress others...probably without discussing it over with them, will lead to creating mindsets set to work with these kinds of goals.

Personally, what I learned from my parents was that they 'push' me, and make it seem like expectations, in order to give a secure point of being. Although what I also noticed is that there was a lacking explanation, so that was all it took for us to see things mutually rather than 'compete for impression' (as how my dad called it).

I could tell stories of these 'average joes' who keep the whole darn city I'm in a better place just be doing the 'regular, mundane' things that many people don't usually talk or 'fame' over, and we're a mountain city focused on agriculture. There are many who have a lack of education, are technically unskilled due to serving their families rather than dedicating time for themselves, and yet have an optimistic, hardworking, and benignly inspiring personality that make them 'good'.

Please remember that being 'good' is relative. If others see it 'less' than you might, that doesn't already mean that they're setting lower expectations than the average standard; there are multiple perspectives to these that each have a point of their own, if all are towards progression--there are a lot of factors contributing to those things one improves on. Common measurements start with the person, the personality, and basically something you get to interact with daily: Yourself, your attitude, and your outlook.

[TheBiggerFish]

Cinder, Cinder, Cinder.  You're already awesome.

Just thought I'd say that.

[birdy51]

I would have to say self-assurance. That is key.

It's not necessarily 'learning not to care' as it is accepting where you are now is in no way the final reflection of talent and that even our most sub par performances still hold a measure of merit. When armed with that kind of confidence, I do not belief there is anything that cannot be achieved in time.

[BorkBorkGoesTheCode]

I would have to say self-assurance. That is key.

It's not necessarily 'learning not to care' as it is accepting where you are now is in no way the final reflection of talent and that even our most sub par performances still hold a measure of merit.

+1

[Baffler]

It doesn't usually take a high degree of skill to impress someone untrained, so if your goal in pursuing more diverse interests is to be more interesting yourself, it is entirely possible to be somewhat proficient in things from visual arts to computer programming to minigolf to the point where you'd at least be able to have a slight amount of common ground with another individual, in the "oh, I used to dabble in minigolf myself once upon a time, it's such a fascinating subject" kind of way. Being a Renaissance man is a noble ideal to aspire to, it's just that you'll never stack up to someone highly specialized in a given area.

Whether it's really worth trying to stack up to someone highly specialized in a given area, though, depends on what your life goals are in particular, and having a broad set of skills and the ability to apply them is a great strength in and of itself.

Nevertheless, the most common measure of a man is his household. It doesn't matter if you're a great artist living alone in a filthy cave or a good programmer living alone in a filthy cave or the greatest minigolfer to ever walk the earth living alone in a filthy cave - the fact that you live alone in a filthy cave is what will form the basis of your image as a person rather than as a professional.

This is all very true, but I'll add that if you're explicitly out to impress, my advice is to get good at something with a tangible product that you can set out somewhere anyone can see and appreciate it. Not everyone knows or cares about sports or programming, but most people will notice a show piece. Common directions are carpentry, metal working and 'fine arts' like painting or drawing, but you could go for something a little more unusual like whittling or sculpting or if that's your thing.

[nenjin]

If you want to make people jealous of your fabulous over-achievement, be rich. Invent something small and trivial-seeming that still makes you wealthier than the average Joe. Be an independent businessmen hawking your own personal line of products. Own land. Carry all the trappings of wealth.

If you want to make people bitterly jealous of your fabulous over-achievement, be famous. Youtube is always a place to try to start. Self-promote like crazy, play to the things people will give you views for.

If you want to make people feel inadequate due to your fabulous over-achievement, be smart and demonstrate your smartness in public ways. MENSA membership, top college placement, delivering quality-code faster and more elegantly than your peers.

Double bonus for making people feel both jealous and inadequate is to have a high paying job at a prestigious place. Google, a large financial institution, a place in government where you actually make a better than average salary (say Congressional Aide in Washington.)

Triple bonus for making people feel intellectually, financially and emotionally jealous of your over-achievement is to be well traveled, speak several languages and have had rad experiences to which they have no frame of reference.

If you want real respect and admiration though, from average people....you do all those things without the need for admiration. That is the ultimate definition of winning, is not even playing the same game and being admired for it.

[eerr]

"What if I want to be good ar ALL THE THINGS?

Or at least very good at learning a la Paul Atreides. Yes I know he's fictional, fite me."

Spend all your free time training in assorted minor skills and abilities. Long enough to get good at said skill.

Like say, learn about fonts and make your own. Then spend time bouncing a ball off a wall. Then spend time looking for good conversational topics.
Nearly anything can be improved, and the wider your selection of these the more super man well rounded you will be.

Always dishing out your time to become better at something means having life skills that will last you forever.

Its incredibly easy to accumulate a list of small things to practice that means accumulating glory from those who see you excecute, confidence from raw ability, and a pool of skills to draw from in future endeavors that might not seem possible.

Pick and choose basically what seems most important or awesome to you, and don't loose sight of this goal.


I had the time of my life practicing minor skills!

[Meph]

I overachieved when it comes to travelling and touring, and the positive reinforcement and feedback from people is nice, but it turns into a hedonistic treadmill once you get used to it, forcing you to do even more ambitious things if you want to keep up.

If you want an easy way, try sports. Fitness center and running, aiming for marathons. Its good for your health, you look better, and you get the admiration for being the crazy person who runs marathons. Done.